Awe & Wonder

Who Is Like You O Lord {Exodus 15:6-11}

4:24 PM




Monday Nov. 18, Exodus 15:6-11

Whenever I would read about the early Israelites, I used to feel a pang of jealousy. After all, they had God in their midst. They encountered first hand His wonders and signs. They were constantly in His presence as He both provided and traveled with them. Oh how I wished I too could have been on that journey. And so I never understood how when presented with the opportunity to actually hear God speak at Mt. Sinai, they turned away in fear. But that was before I experienced the worst thunderstorm I can remember.

 It was a warm September night and while sleeping, I was suddenly jolted awake by a thunder clap with such intensity it chilled me to my bones. The storm was directly overhead. The wind was raging as the rain beat against the house. Flashes of lightening lit up the sky and the thunder was nothing I had heard before. Each boom was louder than the last, leaving me trembling and filled with dread. As I anxiously waited for the storm to pass, I thought about those Israelites standing at Mt. Sinai. After two days spent consecrating themselves to receive God, “On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled.” (Ex. 20:16) Face to face with the awesomeness of God they were afraid. And as that terrible storm raged around me I too was afraid of the awesomeness of God, leading me to a new found appreciation for their fear and amazement.

Many are the attributes of God. He is our loving Father. Our Protector, Healer, Comforter, Savior, and Friend. Yet just as He has the gentleness of a Lamb, He also has the ferocity of a Lion. A mighty Warrior, none can stand against Him. He is the living God; Ruler and Creator of all things. He is Lord of lords, and King of kings. And after witnessing the strength of God’s righteous wrath against the Egyptians the Israelites declared, “Who is like You among the gods O Lord? Who is like You majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders.” (vs. 11) With His mighty right hand God  “shatters His enemies”.  In the greatness of His excellence He “overthrows those who rise up” against Him. He is all powerful, commanding over enemies, elements, and circumstances. He is glorious, holy, and none can compare.

Hebrews 12:28-29 reminds us that we must, “worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” Israel was privy to some pretty amazing miracles God performed on their behalf. A display of majesty, power, and holiness, proving that the Lord alone is worthy of our respect, worship, and faithfulness. As the storm rolled away that night, I thought about the complete fullness of God. Of how one day I would stand before the Alpha and Omega; the Beginning and the End, the Maker of the lightening and thunder that scared me so. And as I laid my head on my pillow I was filled with both awe and wonder at the majesty of the Lord, and how in His magnificence He loved and redeemed a sinner like me!


Day of The Lord

Profaned No More {Ezekiel 38:1-42:20}

12:00 AM


In chapters 38-42 not only does God give Ezekiel measurements for the new temple, He also tells him of a final attack that will happen against Israel in the last days. After the Jewish people have been regathered to their homeland and are living in peace, Gog comes up against them in war and is utterly destroyed by God. From that day forward Israel receives Jesus as her Savior (39:22), and the whole world sees firsthand the power and might of the Lord. “I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the Lord.” (vs. 38:23)

Throughout history people have denied the existence of God, and scoffed at His Word. They reject His gift of salvation calling it folly, and ridicule those who follow Him. His holy name, instead of being spoken with reverence, fear, and love, is used as a form of cursing, and thrown around like just another word. And when warned of the soon return of Jesus they mock the message saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” (2 Pet. 3:4)

Now if it were you or me being constantly discredited, our first response would be to fight back; to silence the critics. We would quickly want to prove them wrong and restore our honor. And because of our love for God, and out of concern for His glory and reputation, we want the same for Him. We wonder why God lets those who defame Him go unpunished, and we cry out, “How long will the enemy mock you, God? Will the foe revile your name forever? Arise, O God, and plead Your own cause; remember how the foolish man reproaches You all day long.”(Ps. 74:10,22) But we must remember that the Creator of time is not bound to it, and everything happens according to His timetable and not ours. 

But those who dare scoff at God and profane His name, would do well to not mistake His patience for weakness.  His patience comes from His perfect love and desire that everyone would receive the chance to accept His gift of eternal life. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”(2 Pet. 3:9) But make no mistake. God will not wait forever. The day of the Lord will come, and on that day, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:10–11)

Sooner rather than later, God promises, “My holy name I will make known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.” (vs. 39:7) On that day when Jesus returns and the truth can no longer be denied, the scoffers will forever be silenced, and all will say, “Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name!”

                     My soul is filled with joy
                     As I sing to God my Savior:
                    You have looked upon your servant,
                    You have visited your people.

                    And holy is your name 
                   Through all generations!
                   Everlasting is your mercy 
                   To the people you have chosen,
                   And holy is your name.
                                             (author unknown)


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Becky Austin

We Serve a Holy God (Leviticus 19-23)

10:58 PM



“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” (19:2)

Without rules or leadership, we would live in a state of anarchy.  There would be no sense of right or wrong in how we conduct ourselves or deal with each other. Not only did God want his people to have fair dealings with each other but He wanted His people to strive for a standard of holiness. 

In the Bible, the word holy is used more than 650 times. Holy means “sacred, set apart from the profane (unholy) and for God.”  Only God is perfectly Holy.  In the O.T.  holiness was attained through ceremonial practices and sacrifices.  Actions, however were not meant to be separated from having a heart of obedience and submission to God.  Over and over in these chapters he would remind the people of why they should do what he required of them. “ I am the Lord” or “ I am the Lord your God.” Always, the focus of our worship is to acknowledge God as Lord of our life. 

In a world of hatred, dishonesty, corruption, and cruelty, the attributes God called his people to are a sharp contrast. Included in God’s expectations:
  • Reverence of parents, widows, elderly, and the poor.
  • Fair business transactions: “You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity. You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” (19:35-36)
  • Worship God only, refraining from worshiping idols.
  • Refrain from gossip and slander, extend love and goodwill toward neighbors
  • Have honesty and integrity.

In the N.T., Jesus became the last required holy sacrifice because he was perfect and sinless. Christians were then considered holy without all of the ceremony of the old sacrificial system. The holy blood of Jesus made them fully acceptable to God.  Even though the sacrifices of animals are no longer required and the strict ceremonial requirements of the OT are no longer necessary, God still asks us to make Him Lord of our life.   He still calls us to live our life in a way that honors and glorifies Him. Our standard for living becomes Christ.  As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1 "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" 
Do you recognize that God is holy and calls you to holy living?
Do you look to Christ as your example of how to conduct your life to reflect His holy standards?
Do you realize that only the blood of Christ can save you and no independent action or merit of your own?
Is the desire of your heart to submit to God as the Lord of your life?